


Akko's Bizarre Adventure - A Little Witch Academia and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Crossover

by EvaSkye



Category: Little Witch Academia, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Dogs Don't Die, Every Jojo is now an Akko, F/F, F/M, Gen, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1: Phantom Blood, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 2: Battle Tendency
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2019-11-06 20:39:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17946749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvaSkye/pseuds/EvaSkye
Summary: Akemi Koestar, also known as Akko, is the only daughter of Atsuko Kagari and George Joestar. After a tragic carriage accident claims the life of Akko's mother, George and Akko are found by scoundrel Dario Manbavaran. George offers to repay the kindness of Dario.After Dario's death, his only daughter Sucy goes to the Koestar mansion in hopes of claiming the fortune, land, and titles for her own. Little does Sucy and Akko know that these events will put them on a path that will permanently intertwine themselves for all eternity.This is an adventure of love, betrayal, family, Hamon, the undead, and the power that lurks beneath us all.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is perhaps the strangest concoction I've come up with. I'm not even sure it's very good, but there are a few things that appeal to me in this attempt: 
> 
> 1\. I'm writing in third person, present tense, omniscient. It's not a style I've used very much, so it's fun to experiment. 
> 
> 2\. Jojo is a story with almost all male characters. LWA is a story with almost all female characters. Is there a way to mix them up in a meaningful way without disrupting the core identity of who they are? 
> 
> 3\. JJBA has a few well-known plot holes. I want to see if I can smooth them out a little, just as an experiment. 
> 
> Let me know if you enjoy this!

England, 1867.

Months before the end of the Edo period and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration in Japan, English nobleman George Joestar marries a woman from a minor noble house in Japan - Atsuko Kagari. It is a stunning political move for both families, and there is immediately much talk and gossip about what this will mean for the English Peerage.

Especially when Sir Joestar, to honor his new bride's family, changes his surname to _Koestar_.

The happy couple spend a quiet year together in the Koestar manor in the gorgeous English countryside, and soon welcome their first child - a daughter. **_Ak_** emi **_Ko_** estar.

Affectionately known as Akko.

But this familial bliss is not destined to live long. In the early winter months of 1868, the Koestar's carriage driver insists that the heavy rains are not too much for the horses to maneuver. Mrs. Koestar, eager to return to the manor, pushes George to accept the driver's assessment.

It is a fatal mistake.

The horses cannot find their footing. The carriage careens off the edge, hurling the driver chest-first onto an elongated stone. George Koestar lays in the rain, alive but unconscious. He does not know yet that his beloved bride is already dead.

Baby Akko cries.

It is these cries that attract the unscrupulous gentleman and his worn-down wife. He is a man much past his prime, with a bald pate and stringy white hair and a cough that has persisted for too many years now. He surveys the carnage.

"Poor bastard," he remarks callously, kicking at the leg of the dead driver.

"The child is still alive," his wife remarks, her voice as quiet as a whisper. The man knows that his wife has too kind of a soul, and would wish to take the child with her. He sees no use for that, unless there is a way to sell the baby. That sounds much too much trouble.

"Leave it," he says. He bends down to grasp the hand of George Koestar, lifting it to examine the ring on his finger. It slips off easily in the rain, and finds a new home in the man's pocket. "These people were loaded. There is much to scavenger."

And then George Koestar's hand closes around the man's. The man yelps in terror, but George has a look of desperation that is matched by the strength of his grip.

"My wife and child…" he pleads. "Are they all right? Have you come to save us?"

 _What a fool_ , thinks the man. _He thinks we are rescuers. Little does he know what I have in store for him and his child. But no matter, I can play the role of the good Samaritan a bit longer._

"I'm sorry sir," the man says in his best, most formal voice. "The child lives, but your wife has passed on."

"I see," George says, squeezing the hand and his eyes. His tears run along his cheek beside the rainwater. "Then I owe you a great debt. The Koestar family will not forget this day. I feel I will pass out soon, but before I know, I must know the name of my rescuer."

"Dario, sir," says the man. "Dario Manbavaran."

"Thank you, Dario…"

And with that, George Koestar slips into darkness.

And the life of Akemi "Akko" Koestar is set onto a path which she will never be able to leave.


	2. Phantom Blood: Sucy the Invader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sucy Manbavaran arrives at the Koestar mansion.

** AKKO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PHANTOM BLOOD  **

 

In the years that followed that tragic accident, Dario Manbavaran proved himself to be a terrible husband and even worse father. His role as husband at least ended when his daughter turned eight, and his wife had the audacity to die from Spanish flu.

But at least he was only down to two mouths to feed.

Himself, and his daughter.

Sucy.

Before his wife's death, Dario had been forbidden to teach Sucy the tricks of his trade. Now, she was free to become a contributing member of the Manbavaran household.

She is taught to lie, cheat, and steal.

She is taught to manipulate the emotions of the people around her.

She is taught to read, to have correct table manners, and to alter her voice and accent to the situation around her. She is the deadly combination of her mother's empathy and beauty, and all of the scum and villainy Dario has acquired over the years.

"You will be so much more than I, little one," Dario would often say. "You will swindle the whole world into letting you be a great lady of society. And they'll give it ot you with a smile."

Then he would laugh. And cough. And drink.

And Sucy hated it.

She knew somewhere deep down that this man was implanting a type of cruelty that she would never be able to extricate herself from. But she had no other recourse. She could not run away. She could not fight him. She could not keep the darkness out of her heart.

So she learned to use it.

Sucy is twelve. Her hair is long and beautiful, draped across her face like the mysterious veil of a dancing woman. She reads a book - the tale of the _Prince and the Pauper_ , a foolish schoolgirl fantasy that she longs for in her every dream.

Dario coughs.

"Sucy! Sucy! I can't breathe!"

Sucy snaps the book shut and sets it on the table. She picks up the disgusting purple bottle with the horrendous liquid inside it, and picks up a spoon.

"No, no, none of that medicine!" Dario screeches. "A drink, I need a drink!"

Even now, as he clings on the last scraps of his life, Dario wishes for more alcohol. Sucy pouts.

"But papa, if you don't take your medicine-"

"Don't 'but papa' me. I taught you how to lie, girl. I know when you're doing it."

Sucy wipes the fake pout off her face and stares coldly at her father. She unscrews the cap of the bottle, pours a spoonful of the viscous purple liquid, and shoves it into his mouth. He struggles against it, and threatens to spit it out, but Sucy clamps her hand hard around his mouth and throat until she feels him swallow.

"Horrible!" Dario declares. "Wouldn't surprise me if it was poison!"

He says it as a joke, but Sucy knows that he is also carefully watching her reaction, testing to see if this theory is true. Sucy doesn't react at all, leaving Dario clueless. Clueless to the fact that Sucy was indeed pouring poison down her fahter's throat in an attempt to speed along his passing to the next world.

Hopefully it would be hell.

"Listen to me, Sucy," Dario says, clutching a letter. "When I die, go to the countryside and find the Koestar family. George Koestar owes me a great debt, and I'm cashing it in for you. You'll have a plethora of new experiences to have with the Koestars. You'll be able to meet men of the peerage, and men of politics. You can make yourself whatever you want at the Koestar manor."

"Gee, thanks," Sucy says. She is thinking of what it would be like to live that comfortably, but she is also suspicious of such a claim. It would not be the first time that her father had lied to her.

"Don't be so insolent!- _ack!_ " Dario coughs with such violence that blood spatters on his lips. "You can be so much more than I ever was."

"You're nothing than a rodent, living off the scraps of society while deluding yourself. You got one lucky break that you couldn't figure out how to use for yourself, so now you're trying to make yourself feel better in your last moments by giving me that luck. You are looking for forgiveness, and for love."

Sucy towers over the dying man. His eyes are wide, frightened at the daughter that he has created.

"You will only get from me what you gave: cruelty. You die today because I have killed you, Dario Manbavaran. When I make my way up in the world, it won't be because of anything you did for me. It will be because I made myself better than you could ever dream to be."

Dario Manbavaran does not get to reply. His coughing reaches a new crescendo, causing his face to turn red, and then a deep shade of purple. He thrashes on the bed, seeking out liquid to comfort him - the water in the pitcher on the table, the whisky that lies in a crystal bottle in the cabinet, or even the cruel poison in Sucy's hands.

He gets none of it.

Instead he coughs himself to death.

He had purchased a small grave for himself two years ago. Sucy thought about selling it and tossing Dario into a pauper's grave, but that seemed too much like something Dario would do.

He was the worst of all men, but he was still her father. She could offer the barest thread of respect for that.

Predictably, no one came for the funeral. The priest said a few words, the gravedigger finished his lonely work, and Sucy stands alone with the headstone.

She spits on it.

"Burn in hell, you rotten old man."

She returns to her home. She takes almost nothing - only what money they had, her clothes, and of course the important letter to the Koestar family. She has no doubt that Dario was seeking redemption in his final moments, and she felt right to have mocked his offer.

But the Koestars are nobility. From what she understands, they are kind people who still stand for truth and justice and the best kinds of nobility.

They will be easy marks.

\--

"Akko, come down!" comes the thundering voice of George Koestar. Akko lays on the floor of her room, wrestling with her best friend in the entire world: Danny. The dog is a loyal friend and companion in the lonely world of the gentry. Akko tries not to think too much of how she has very few friends, and how she often longs for the mother she never knew.

On her way down to the foyer, she stops at the portrait that overlooks the stairs. Danny continues to run down the stairs.

The portrait is her mother, so kind and beautiful, standing next to her father, a much younger and happier George Koestar.

"I miss you, mother," Akko whispers and bows in the Japanese style that her tutors taught her. She then finishes rushing down the stairs.

Only to hear a yelp.

She watches in shock as Danny is kicked swiftly across the foyer floor. The young pup is sprawled out and slides on the slick surface. Akko kneels beside him and cradles him close.

"What was that for!" Akko demands, looking up at the assailant. It is a young girl, about her own age, with purple hair.

"He frightened me," the girl says in a voice as small as a mouse's whisper. Akko straightens up, still cradling Danny.

"Apologize at once! How dare you enter our home and-"

"Akko, that's enough," her father interrupts. He steps between them. "Please forgive Sucy, Akko. It is very important that the two of you get along now, for she is to live with us now. Her father saved our lives when you were just a baby. He has passed on, and Miss Sucy has no mother. You should consider her part of the family."

Akko's anger at this Sucy girl rapidly wanes. Danny does not seem to be badly hurt, and he is quite energetic. It's understandable that she might be afraid of an unfamiliar dog. She kisses Danny on the head and sets him down before rushing across the foyer to hug Sucy.

"Oh, you shall be like a sister to me! I have always wanted a sister," Akko declares.

"Akko, that's too forward," George admonishes, but only gently.

Sucy is frozen in the embrace.

This is the moment that she must decide. The entire carriage ride over she has plotted and schemed and dreamed, she has wondered what kind of fools the Koestar family was, and how she might swindle them of their fortune. Seeing this girl Akemi Koestar, "Akko", quickly give up in her demands for apology is so very telling.

She wants peace. She wants family. She wants love. And people who want something can be controlled.

And yet.

This embrace is so warm, so sincere, so lovely that Sucy finds herself wondering if she should change her course. Perhaps she could abandon the evil that Dario has spent her life drilling into her. Perhaps she doesn't need to swindle the Koestars. Only join them.

She could be a Koestar herself.

She really could be Akko's sister.

"I'm not afraid of dogs," Sucy whispers into Akko's ear.

"W-what?"

"I'm not afraid of dogs. I just hate them. I hate how they grovel before mankind. I hate anything that shows weakness."

She feels Akko about to pull away, but she raises her hand and holds her.

"From now on, Akemi Koestar, you are _second_ in this house. Remember your place, or suffer."

Sucy releases a confused and frightened Akko. But before she can say or do anything, father is inviting Sucy upstairs to see her room.

And with that, destiny is complete.

Sucy Manbavaran and the Koestar family are inextricably linked.

But to what end?


	3. Youth with Sucy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko and Sucy grow up.

The fate of a noblewoman in 1883 is to marry well.

This is no different for Akemi Koestar and Sucy Manbavaran.

Their lives are lives of intense delicacy, lives preparing them to be the iron-lace wives of powerful men. They must be demure, yet cunning. They must be obedient, and yet able to direct their husbands with wisdom. They must raise children who will themselves marry well, and secure the fortune and futures of their family.

The difference between Akko and Sucy, however, is immediately apparent.

Sucy, having been trained by the devilish Dario from a young age to observe the highest level of manners and protocol, takes to the lessons with their governess, Ms. Babcock, with stunning precision.

"Excellent use of the fork and knife, Miss Sucy," the short Babcock remarks. "You were able to eat the teacake without smearing any of the frosting or leave any crumbs behind."

"You are too kind, Miss Babcock," Sucy says demurely, bowing her head with grace and humility. "Surely, an amateur as myself has much to learn."

"You do well with your compliments. As for you, Miss Akemi…"

Akko has eaten her cake hastily. It isn't that she doesn't care about her manners, but she was so ravenous when she arrived at the lesssons, that by the time they were done with French, Latin, and piano lessons that she was blind with hunger. When the cake arrived, she attacked it like a ravenous wolf. Such aggressive eating leaves strong evidence - plenty of spilled crumbs litter the tablecloth, tea is spilled onto the saucer, and despite Akko's efforts with her napkin, frosting lines the corners of her mouth.

"I am surprised that a young woman of your upbringing is has so much more to go. Has your father not taught you how to behave at a meal?"

"He has, I assure you, Miss Babcock," Akko replies hastily. The last thing she deisres is for her father to be thought of poorly. "I am just a slow student. But once I have mastered it, I promise I will meet your expectations! There is still two years yet before I am of marrying age, and I will use them to improve myself!"

Babcock lets out a little sigh, but she cannot blame the girl's earnestness. Besides, she has grown up without a mother, and there is only so much that can be expected of a father. Babcock has been a governess for most of her adult life, and she has never been the kind to take the place of a missing mother. Akko was no exception, and so without a strong and steady female role model, what should Babcock expect?

"I do hope you will, Miss Akemi. There will be many suitors interested in marrying into the Koestar fortune and name. That will be all for today, ladies."

They both bowed and walked properly out of the room. No one noticed that Sucy's eyes had become narrow daggers, stabbing into Akko's back again and again.

This is how it always is here. Sucy is perfection. Akko is forgiven.

And yet, she is still the Koestar daughter. It is her hand that will be sought after.

Not Sucy's.

It is unfair to say that Akko is a failure in all of her lessons. There are two in particular where she excels. The first is riding, where her kind demeanor is sensed by the animals. Though Sucy is an excellent horsewoman, her control is based on domination and fear. The horse will do exactly what Sucy wants it to do, and nothing more.

With Akko, it is like the horse is her ally. The horse does its best, pushes itself beyond its limits to help Akko achieve her goals. Even if it means disobedience, because the horse knows a better way to do it.

The second lesson Akko excels at is her martial arts instruction.

George Koestar once had a fellow nobleman as a guest during one of Akko's lessons. The two sat on the balcony of the Koestar manor, overlooking the back garden while Akko's sensei walked her through karate, judo, and kendo maneuvers, over and over again.

"Your girl is quite the warrior. That's surprising, George," says Paul Hanbridge.

"Yes, I do realize it is somewhat unconventional and perhaps unladylike. But Akko needs a way to connect with her Japanese culture. There aren't that many Japanese living in England. Sensei Yamamoto was the best cultural representative we could find, and he is a martial artist," George replies, sipping on his tea. "Besides, my Atsuko was also a part-time martial artist. It gave her grace and confidence, something that Akko needs a lot of."

The two men watch as Akko unleashes a jumping spin-kick into a board, splintering it in half. In the next moment, she grasps onto a wooden katana and unleashes a flurry of strikes at a straw dummy. Each strike lands in a vital point, perfectly aimed and viciously executed. Soon, there is nothing but a pile of straw and fallen clothing.

" _Yata!_ I did it, sensei!" Akko calls out, jumping up and down. Sensei Yamamoto, a stern instructor, allows himself a small smile and a brief head nod as praise to his young pupil.

Paul Hanbridge nods approvingly.

"I wish my Andrew had half the strength and valor your girl does. He's too bookish, I'm afraid," he says.

"Why not enroll him with a boxing trainer? I know many of the boys in the countryside practice pugilism. It's almost like a religion to them," George suggests.

"Hm…an interesting idea. Perhaps I'll look into it."

\--

Akko is a dutiful daughter, but she does take a few indulgences. One of these is to steal away from her room, and from the manor, and slip into the countryside. She leaves behind her fine dresses and the trappings of young womanhood and trades them for a pair of trousers, some suspenders, a simple shirt and a wool cap. She trades her luxury for her freedom for a few hours.

Especially on fight days.

The boys in the countryside are obsessed with boxing. Akko has done it a few times, but she finds the rules of boxing too be far too limiting compared to karate and judo. She was once disqualified from their amateur championship for instinctively throwing a spin kick into the side of a hapless boy.

She wasn't allowed to continue, and she lost the ten pounds she had put into the pot.

Of course, the boy she kicked didn't continue either, but mostly because it hurt for him to breathe.

Today, she has found her way to their secret fighting ring. It is at the edge of the woods near the main road, out of sight from any passersby, but not so far into the wilderness that they could get lost or mauled by animals. The ring is formed by the lads watching the fight.

"Did I miss much?" Akko asks Collin, one of the smaller boys. Collin is an expert analyst of the fights, but he's much too small to participate himself. He nods sagely, his arms crossed.

"The fight between Charlie and Robert went about as well as we thought. Charlie had him out in three seconds. The big match up today was supposed to be Mark and James, but James is home sick."

Akko looks at the ring to see Mark unleashing a flurry of blows, swinging fists faster than Akko has ever seen him before.

"Then who is Mark fighting?"

"A new contender," Collin says with an ever-spreading grin, enjoying the secret he's keeping."

Akko looks. Mark is throwing punch after punch, but isn't landing a single one. Mark is far and away the best boxer in the whole club, but he's getting frustrated. He's lost his form, and is growing more tired by the moment, so he's reverted into a form of endless slugging at the air.

_Crack!_

A single counter-punch from his opponent sends Mark onto his heels, and then onto the ground. The rules for the boxing are simple - a single strike to the face means the bout is over. No one usually gets very hurt because of it, especially since they don't have any gloves.

But this punch has left Mark's face covered in blood. He bleeds from a loose tooth, and from his nose.

The boys all cheer. Two rush forward to help Mark to his feet.

"The winner," calls Collin, "is Ms. Sucy!"

Sucy stands there, satisfied with her work. Years of getting herself out of scuffles with local ruffians and protecting herself against the advances of drunk men have given her tremendous fighting skill, though one would never really call it "boxing." Sucy has learned to use her slight frame and intelligence to avoid strikes and then return the perfect blow at the perfect moment. Mark, much larger than her, fell for the strategy perfectly.

Akko notices that Sucy is also dressed more like a boy, with trousers, a shirt, and cap. She removes the cap and lets her long hair fall over her face and shoulders, and then bows low for the cheering lads.

"She might even give you a rough time, Akko," Collin says.

"Oi, Akko's here? That'd be a hell of a fight to see, Akko vs Sucy!" calls Charlie.

"You know she ain't allowed to fight no more, she can't stick to the rules of boxing," Robert complains, still tenderly rubbing the black eye he got from Charlie.

"I wouldn't mind that," Sucy says. Everyone turns to face her, then to Akko. "We should have a friendly bout, Akko. You can use whatever technique you want."

Akko hesitates. The lads are all cheering for her to do it, and she doesn't want to lose face in front of them. Akko also wonders if this might be a way for her and Sucy to connect, and finally become like true sisters.

"Okay!' Akko says, moving into the circle. She takes a deep breath and centers her stance. She feels a thrill of excitement, and she can't help but smile brightly.

Sucy smiles too, though it is a smile of cruelty and disdain. How dare Akko look like she is about to enjoy herself. Sucy would make sure that every moment they battled was painful for her.

"You know the rules, ladies, first strike to the face wins," says Eric, the usual ref.

"Good luck!" says Akko.

"I despise luck," says Sucy.

"Fight!"

" _Kiya!_ "

Akko opens with the first strike, taking rapid steps forward and throwing a straight punch aimed at Sucy's face. Sucy twists her torso and leans back, avoiding the blow, but she's caught off guard. _She's fast! And strong!_ Sucy thinks to herself.

Akko turns and throws a quick chop with her other hand, aimed at Sucy's neck. Sucy has to throw herself backwards with her whole weight, stumbling ungracefully out of the way. Akko shuffle steps and launches a powerful side-kick, attacking with the same steady force as a train piston.

Once again, Sucy has to throw herself out of the way. _I may have underestimated you, Akko. But you still won't win!_

Sucy moves to Akko's rear. Akko pulls her leg back and spins around to confront Sucy, who is throwing a punch. Akko knows that Sucy is too far away to actually land the blow, and keeps her gaze steady and focused on her opponent's movements.

This is the critical mistake. Sucy's punch misses, but her fingers open as they pass Akko's face. A small handful of dirt leaves her grasp and flies straight into Akko's eyes.

Akko blinks and tries to raise her hands to block, but it's too late. Sucy has landed the punch on her cheek.

"The winner, Ms. Sucy!"

The lads rush in to congratulate Sucy. Akko rubs the dirt from her eyes, anger and frustration filling her heart.

"I saw what she did," Collin says in a low voice to Akko. "I'll tell the others."

"No, let it be, Collin. I think she needs the win more than I do. And besides, if we she and I share the same friends, then perhaps we can grow closer together as sisters."

Collin looks warily at Sucy, then looks over to Akko.

"I think you have too kind of a heart, Akko. I would be careful around her. She's really pretty, but she has eyes like a snake."

"Thank you for your concern, but I will not give up. We are sisters. And I don't turn my back on family."


	4. Beloved Andrew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko and Andrew get engaged. Sucy's plans take shape.

England, 1885.

Though they have met only a handful of times, it is clear to most observers that young Akemi Koestar and handsome Andrew Hanbridge are destined to wed. Their fathers are old friends, their estates are near to one another, and they are of equal standing in the English peerage.

They also make an attractive couple.

Andrew Hanbridge is kind and gentle, but possesses within him an inner light of intelligence and justice that guides his actions. He has recently been accepted to the prestigious Cambridge University to study law, and will no doubt make Paul Hanbridge very proud, and a worthy successor to both the house of Hanbridge and house of Koestar.

Akko has grown into a refined young woman, despite the many missteps of her early adolescence. She continues to pursue her peculiar hobbies of Japanese martial arts and exploring the outdoors, but it is now balanced with her ability to host a perfect tea and carry pleasant converstaions.

“Your engagement must be imminent,” Sucy says one day over breakfast. “I caught wind of some gossip that young Andrew went north last weekend to Windknight’s Lot to visit his grandmother. There could only be one reason for that.”

“Andrew is a lovely gentleman. He doesn’t need an ulterior motive to visit his grandmother.”

“The timing is suspect, dear sister,” Sucy says with a sweetness that she has practiced over the last two years. Though it sounds false to her own ears, she has discovered that all around her, including Akko, believe it to be true.

“Suspect?”

“Indeed. There is the party this weekend held at his estate, and we are invited as guests of honor. Clearly he intends to get the ring from his grandmother and propose to you then.”

Akko can’t help but sigh dreamily and blush. “It’s embarrassing to admit that I hope you’re right, dear sister. To be wed to Andrew would be a dream come true.”

“And the promised continuation of the Koestar line, which is no doubt a relief to father.”

“Oh my, a child…I can’t even imagine what it’ll be like to be a mother.”

“I’m sure you’ll take to it wonderfully,” Sucy says while measuring cream into her tea. Akko leans across the table and takes both of her hands, holding them high and close to her, in a show of sisterly intimacy that Sucy finds repulsive. She hates the love Akko shows for her, hates it down to her marrow.

“I’m sure you’ll find a wonderful man of your own soon, Sucy. You, the mysterious beauty of the Koestar Family, you have created quite a stir. I think it’s just that so many men are afraid of a powerful woman like you.”

“On that, we concur,” Sucy says with a smile spreading over her tea. She knew the rules of this world would have her marry as high as she could, but she had rejected that idea years ago. The only way a woman could wield wealth and power for herself was to inherit it before she was bound to another man.

The Koestar fortune was vast, that much she knew. She had stolen glances into George Koestar’s ledger, gotten friendly with his accountants, and had spoken to the land managers and investment brokers. Unlike many other noble families, the Koestars were not just living off the momentum of their name.

They had true money.

Sucy was only two deaths away from securing that fortune for herself. Three, if Andrew did turn into her brother-in-law.

And the wonderful thing about being the illegitimate ward of the Koestars was that few cared about her movements. She had been into London many times over the years to make the necessary contacts and learn the needed skills. For her plan to work, she needed time.

In fact, she had already begun it.

George Koestar was dying, and he didn’t even know it.

But the cruelty that lives in Sucy’s heart, planted by Dario and fertilized by a life of hard living, was not satisfied with this patient plot. It was a need inside her that required sating.

The party would be the perfect opportunity.

“Dear sister, do not think about me one moment. This is your engagement and your future. Savor it.”

“You are too kind, Sucy,” Akko says with a sigh.

Sucy sips her tea.

 

—

 

It was as Sucy predicted.

The evening is filled with mirth and merriment and all the finery the two houses could display. Family members from both distant branches of the Hanbridge and Koestar family turned out, along with local dignitaries and a few politicians from London. The feast is magnificent: roast goose, Yorkshire pudding, stuffed pheasant, roast beast,and fresh vegetables from the Hanbridge lands. The Koestars provide cod from their fishing companies and wine from their vineyards in the south of France.

A string quintet plays light music. There is dancing and jokes and stories until Paul Hanbridge lightly taps his crystal glass.

“My dear friends, family, and colleagues, thank you all so much for attending tonight’s festivities. This is truly an evening of celebration, for my son Andrew has been accepted into Cambridge University School of Law!”

A polite applause ripples across the great hall. Andrew steps up beside his father, rosy-cheeked and nervous, but managing a polite smile and bow.

“Your mother and I are so very proud of how hard you’ve worked to attain this goal, and we know that your work will bring great honor to our family, and to the glorious British Empire!”

“Long live the king!” came the cry from across the hall.

“Thank you all, your support means the world to me,” Andrew says. “But with your permission, father, there is another matter I would like to see to tonight.”

“By all means, my son,” Paul says with a bright smile.

“Miss Koestar, would you mind coming to the front?”

Akko looks divine. She rises from the crowd like a jewel, a beautiful young woman in a confection of a gown - pale blue lace and frills surround her like a crystalline cloud. A gasp ripples across the room. Many of the older woman place a hand to their chest and mutter comments between themselves or to their husbands.

“Akemi Koestar, you and I have known each other all our lives. You have always been the kindest, strongest, and most beautiful woman I have ever known,” Andrew says while dropping to one knee. “Would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

He opens the box to reveal the gorgeous ring - a bright yellow topaz surrounded in a ring of diamonds. Akko is smiling so hard that it hurts. She forces herself to remember to breathe.

“Yes, Andrew, I will marry you,” she says.

There is more applause. Andrew slips the ring onto Akko’s finger - a perfect fit, of course - and then rises to meet his fiancee’s eyes.

They then turn and bow to the attending, and start walking through the crowd to discuss their engagement with the guests.

No one saw the awkwardness of the moment shared between Akko and Andrew in that moment.

No one except Sucy.

There was a brief moment when the two contemplated kissing. They wanted to, their desire and love for each other was clear as the crystals on the chandelier, but manners dictated otherwise. Their first kiss should be shared in private, or during the wedding ceremony, but not in a moment when the two of them would fumble through the motions.

Sucy, knowing Akko well, could fully understand her thinking. And it was then that Sucy knew that Andrew and Akko had not yet kissed.

And this fact awakened the dragon of cruelty in Sucy’s heart.

 

As the party waned, Andrew lost track of his beloved Akko. He is deep in a conversation with the foreign minister when one of the servants gives him a note. He’s pleased to see Akko’s handwriting:

_Come to the parlor._

Andrew excuses himself from the conversation, and walks casually by the fireplace and tosses the note into the flames. When no one else is looking, he steals into the hallway and down to the parlor.

His heart is racing. In the past, he would’ve worried about the impropriety of meeting Akko alone in a room, but they were truly engaged now - her father had blessed the union and everything. Surely they could bend a few rules now.

The parlor is pitch black, save for the light of the moon pouring through the window. Andrew looks around, wondering where Akko is.

“Akko?”

Before he can say another word, he is whirled around. Lips are pressed to his, and he gasps in shock and pleasure. The lips are smooth, but almost cold, and yet he finds himself incredibly aroused by the moment. Desires and impulses he has spent his life pressing down come roaring to life.

Hands grasp his wrists.

His palms close over a pair of petite breasts - soft and inviting. He feels dizzy with arousal, especially as he can sense her nipples stiffening beneath his palms.

He tears away from Akko, cursing himself as he does.

“That was incredible, Akko. I don’t mind bending the rules a little, but we should make sure not to cross too many lines.”

“Akko isn’t here,” Sucy’s voice answers.

Andrew reels back in shock and trips over the rug. Sucy steps from the shadows and into the moonlight. Half of her body is revealed in the silver light, while the other is still covered in mottled darkness. She is the epitome of frightening sexuality.

“If you and Akko were lovers, you would’ve known from the first moment we touched that I was not her. But you were clueless, from my kiss to my breasts. That means you and she must not have touched before. I am your first, Andrew. Your first kiss, and your first caress of a woman’s body.”

Sucy could not contain the laughter. The cruelty insider her is overjoyed, and she throws her back in a cackle.

“From now until your dying breath, you will always know that the first body you touched was mine. You will think of it on your wedding night, during your honeymoon, and twenty years from now when you strip down your worn-out wife to satisfy your urges. You will always remember the body of Sucy, and you will always wonder what it could have been like.”

She spins around and strides from the room, her cackles echoing beyond.

Andrew remained in the room for another two hours, curled in a ball, crippled by guilt and shame.


End file.
